When I was very young, I wished for some big event to happen to me, something truly dramatic – tragic, even. I hadn’t yet heard the expression “Be careful what you wish for.” I was 16 when my father had his first of three strokes. I remember the day –
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THE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A Man Finds His Purpose in Caregiving | Ousmane | The New Yorker Screeni…
Lately I’ve been talking about “slivers of time” for self-care or reflection. If you can find half an hour today, watch this short film about a homesick immigrant who finds purpose and meaning in caring for an elderly neighbour with dementia. It’s a quiet film shot in my hometown of
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: LET’S TALK ORAL HEALTH AND DEMENTIA – HOW TO GET THOSE TEETH CLEAN?
I remember helping my Mom brush her teeth – sometimes she was “too tired” or just not interested in doing her own personal care. Today it’s my pleasure to host this informative guest post about how we caregivers can work together with dentists to ensure good oral health for our
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: One Gold Award Girl Scout’s Contribution to Azheimer’s Patients and Families
Yesterday, I was delighted to discover this message in my email inbox: Hello! My name is Isabelle Richter. I am a Bee Cave, Texas, resident. I’m a junior at my high school and a long-time Girl Scout. I am currently working on my Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: ALZHEIMER’S AND AGGRESSION: STRATEGIES TO COPE
It is my pleasure to host this guest post about managing aggression in loved ones who have Alzheimer’s or dementia. This is a difficult and painful subject, but one that many caregivers have to manage regularly and often with little support. Here is some excellent advice to begin (Read more…)
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Helping A Loved One With Alzheimer’s Understand A Death In The Family
It is my pleasure to host this guest post today on the important topic of how to help our loved ones with Alzheimer’s cope with and understand a death in the family. Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of Americans, and even with all the studies that have been done surrounding its
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How Caregivers Can Prepare Their Home For Alzheimer’s Patients
When your parent was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you had an important decision to make: Where would your parent live? After discussing it with your family and a medical team, you’ve decided to move them into your house. That means you will need to make a few changes to the
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Mama Peaches’ Wisdom – Book Review for Alzheimer’s Caregivers
Fans of caregiver advocate and author Christopher-Charles Chaney’s ‘MamaPeaches and Me: Wit and Wisdom for Worn-Out Caregivers’ will be thrilled that Chaney has penned a new volume for caregivers of loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s. ‘Mama Peaches’ Hot Slices of Wisdom: Mama’s Timeless Truths and MyTimely Caregiving Knowledge’ is
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Caring for Non-Speaking Loved Ones in Pain
What does pain look like in a person who cannot speak? Most often with our son Nicholas, it looks like this: When his smile suddenly turns to a ‘stricken’ look, we know that Nick is in pain. There are other signs too – sweaty palms and feet, high heart rate,
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How To Help Your Loved One With Alzheimer’s Stay Safe In The Home
Guest Post by Paul Denikin: Paul enjoys working on DIY home repair projects. He is passionate about sharing his experiences working on DIY projects through dadknowsdiy.com to benefit people with special needs children. Photo via Pixabay by Julim6 Alzheimer’s disease affects different people in different ways, and while it can eventually
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: WAR AND PIZZA – Battling Alzheimer’s With Memories
Guest Post by Stephanie March Even as we sit here, the battle continues. The evil enemy keeps spreading and threatens to consume everything. The best defense system in the world cannot stop the current onslaught of devastation. I am completely helpless against this silent monster that is attacking my territory.
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How Can Yoga Help Dementia Patients (and Their Caregivers)?
How Can Yoga Help Dementia Patients? by Camille Leavold Yoga is a popular form of exercise that has a variety of health benefits, which have gained attention from the general public and medical professionals alike. Benefits of yoga include improved strength, flexibility and posture, improvement in balance, a reduction in
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: A Link Between Sleeping Pills and Dementia?
The BBC has a report on Canadian researchers who have discovered an apparent link between sustained use of a broad family of sleep and anxiety medications and the development of dementia. The drugs are from the family of benzodiazepines. Wiki has this list of the medications. Many of us have to
Continue readingThings Are Good: Being Intellectually Stimulated Can Delay Dementia
More and more studies seem to be coming out that all conclude that keeping your mind active can be helpful to all sorts of health issues. Speaking more than one language and certainly help and so can just keeping your mind intellectually stimulated through various tasks: Examples of activities the
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Dementia Info-Graphic
Source: MBA-Healthcare-Management.com
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: Cooking For (With?) Mom: A Sweet Journey! Guest Post
Recently, my relationship with my mother has revolved around a battle of wills that is reminiscent of the “We are SPARTA!” scene from the movie 300. Since she is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, she is still capable of dressing herself, doing her makeup, and being relatively independent. However—she
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: Helping Families Connect With Their Loved One With Alzheimer’s Using the Fit Minds Program
Nicole Scheidl is the CEO and co-founder of Fit Minds, a ‘brain training’ program designed to assist caregivers communicate with their loved ones who suffer from Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. I wanted to know more about Nicole’s story and her work helping people with dementia and Alzheimer’s as
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: An Interview About Caregiving with Me for FIT MINDS
Nicole Scheidl is the founder and CEO of Fit Minds, a company with a mission to produce learning materials that are proven to slow the process of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Nicole has a strong focus on caregivers and has created an information sharing hub for our community. I am honoured
Continue readingThings Are Good: Artists Better Protected Against Cognitive Decline
People who engage in music or visual arts are better protected against dementia and other cognitive decline issues. Nows the time to pick up that instrument you keep meaning to learn how to play! Artists compared with non-artists are better protected, he added. “Due to their art, the brain is
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Pat Robertson Offers His ‘Expert’ Opinion On Trayvon Martin
There seem to be no limits to Pat Robertson’s prodigious intellect. One wonders when God will ‘call him home‘ for the rest he so richly deserves. Recommend this Post
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